Friday, September 25, 2015

Hello, and happy Poetry Friday! Please visit the indomitable Janet at Poetry for Children for Roundup.

I've been traveling, and I'm tuckered out, so I've just got something small to share with all you you.

Yesterday I found this wonderful quote in a little book I picked up at a thrift store: FLOWER THOUGHTS: A SELECTION, edited by Louise Bachelder with illustrations by Eric Carle.

See, I've been thinking I want to become a Master Gardener. So, suddenly, flower/tree/garden things are finding me EVERYWHERE. I mean, why not? I've got this amazing backyard that's just begging for some loving... plus it's just FUN to learn stuff about nature and hang out with passionate folks and spend time outdoors.

Any Poetry Friday Master Gardeners out there?? I'd love to hear from you!

And now the quote:

"Romance and poetry, ivy, lichens, and wallflowers, need ruin to make them grow." - Nathaniel Hawthorne
I love this idea of ruin as necessary... isn't it? (Yes, I'm working on a "ruin" poem!) What a wonderful way to reframe some life experiences. And how perfect for autumn, when the leaves are changing and crumbling, everything shedding and going quiet and still... such a beautiful time of year, because somehow the ruin holds deep inside the promise of SPRING. xo

Monday, September 21, 2015

Newspaper clipping my father sent me
just after the book was released.

I had no plans to read GO SET A WATCHMAN -- partly because I can be really ornery when it comes to "what everyone else is doing," and partly because I am not enamored of TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD as many folks are. (Somehow typing that makes me feel downright un-Alabamian, and maybe even un-American. Alas.)

But all that was before I got this middle of the night email from my father, which he so generously gave me permission to share here:

September
5, 2015

Dearest
Irene--I just finished Harper Lee's new/old book and I'm so
excited and thrilled by it that even though it's the wee hours of the
morning I had to tell you.

I loved To Kill A Mockingbird. I
love Go Set A Watchman. I may be in a minority but Watchman is
fantastic! And the two of them together provide a wonderful complete
story.

It's true that Atticus takes a slight fall from lofty
heights but he becomes more human in the process and, in my view,
remains a hero though less than a God. He does right as he sees it
and becomes a greater man and father in the process.

And I
have to tell you that touched me in a very special way. Atticus
raised Scout to be a fully functional, rational, thinking person

Sent
from my iPhone

~Sorry,
I got so carried away, I hit the wrong button~

...Capable of
making her own way in the world based on values she was taught. The
part that was incomplete was the examination of those values in the
context of a very harsh often unfair world not of absolutes but of
grays, not of blacks and whites (to make a bad pun) but of shades of
gray. She could only come complete when she had to begin to see this
world through her own eyes and begin to deal with it in a more
engaged and realistic way.

I
think I'm raving about this book for several reasons: (1) It
completes the story in what I feel a very satisfying way; (2) it is
insightful about segregation, not to justify it but pointing to the
underlying cultural situation that caused the south to pull away from
the union and how the south's defeat and experience with
reconstruction encouraged segregation...and it concluded--rightly in
my mind--both that some changes must be made because they're not only
right but seriously overdue and that complex situations ought to be
approached in multiple ways to permit and abet positive results; a
and most important to me on a personal level, (3) it reminds me of
what I was in my own bumbling way trying to do in raising you and
Lynn. I felt it essential that you be independent persons
equipped to make your own way in the world. I wanted you to have the
values and abilities not only to be good people but to make world a
better place and to be strong enough to be able to choose your own
path and to be secure and successful whatever path you chose. I'm so
very proud of you--a man of any character at all was to see his child
grow to be strong and wise and successful. I was given the great gift
of freedom to find my own way while always being loved--I felt that
this should be passed along to you and that was the greatest legacy I
could you. I did it the best way I knew how and I am so very proud of
you--you are such a blessing to me!

So
that's my take on the book. I hope they'll make a play out of it and
produce it in Monroeville! If they do, getting you there see it is in
my Bucket List!!!

I
love you!

Papa

................................

So it is through that lens that I reserved at the library GO SET A WATCHMAN. (Some context on how "big" this book is here in Alabama: at the time of my online reserve, our library system had 109 copies, and I was 23 on the wait-list. It only took a few days for the email to arrive saying the book was ready for me to pick up.)

And you know what? I liked Jean Louise. I liked her spunk, her impatience, her fearlessness about her convictions. It's hard to grow up, and that's really what she does in this book -- little Scout becomes full-fledged Jean Louise. There are some disappointments along the way -- necessary ones, as my father points out. And ultimately the book speaks to me about the father-daughter relationship I've known, which, can certainly be rocky, but is also steadfast. At least that has been my experience! I'm so grateful to have had a father who taught me to question things, even though there were time when he made me so mad by "picking" at me. I know now it was part of my training -- he wanted me to be able to argue, to defend my position, to think, to empathize with others, to GROW as a human, become myself, whomever that may be. What a gift! And Atticus gives that to Scout in this book.

TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD it is not. There's hardly a plot, way too much conversation, not a lot happens at all. And the racism! Hard to read, acknowledge, accept. Yet there's some magic there, a bit of the south as I've known it (nearly all in the flashbacks to Scout's younger MOCKINGBIRD years), and some truths about life that I find powerful, as my father did.

My favorite quote is this one:

"Prejudice, a dirty word, and faith,

a clean one, have something in common:

they both begin where reason ends."

Who but Harper Lee would put prejudice and faith in the same sentence?

My father and I actually came thisclose to meeting Harper Lee when we traveled together to Monroeville a few years back for Alabama Writers Symposium, where I was speaking about LEAVING GEE'S BEND, and Fannie Flagg was being honored with the Harper Lee Award, and lo and behold, Harper Lee attended the luncheon! While we were there we also saw the play "To Kill a Mockingbird," the first half of which is held outside on the courthouse lawn, and the second half of which attendees pile into the courtroom to hear the proceedings. It's wonderful, and that's what my father is speaking of in that last bit of his note.

The lesson for me here -- and isn't it appropriate that it should be my father (who reads a book a day) teaching it? -- is to be openminded about books, to give them a chance, allow them into my heart, however imperfect (or popular!) they may be. Reading is about emotion, and the best books (to me) are the ones that show me something about me and my life that I recognize, but hadn't been able to say myself.

This book does that, and for that I am grateful. Thanks, Papa, for everything. I love you!

Thursday, September 17, 2015

I have not been at my best this week -- O change-of-season cold! Plus my father has been in the hospital -- he's doing much better at the moment, but it's been a stressful few days.. and might explain the this-n-that nature of this post!

Good news: I'm thrilled to be serving for the third time as a CYBILS judge for Poetry! Congratulations to all the other judges -- I look forward to talking poetry with all of you. We certainly have our work cut out for us this year, what with verse novels being thrown in with the other poetry books. I'm excited to read!

Earlier this week (before I lost my voice), I recorded a poem I loved called "A Little Girl's Poem" by Gwendolyn Brooks.

It begins "Life is for me and is shining!" Read the full poem here -- and here's the audio.

As for my reading life, I'm nearly done with GO SET A WATCHMAN. I wasn't going to read it, but then my father wrote me a middle-of-the-night email about his reaction to it, and I simply HAD to read it. I rather like 26 year old Scout, I gotta say. More on this soon!

During my drive-time, I've been listening to ECHO by Pam Munoz Ryan. I'm into the second story (set in Depression-era Pennsylvania), and I am really REALLY curious as to how all these threads are going to be woven together... loving the music! Thanks again, Ramona, for sending me to the audio version of this book.

Finally, I've been thinking about this article I read in Mental Floss magazine about Einstein's "genius tricks for clearing your mind" -- and, it should follow, enhancing your creativity:

1. Bust out the violin
2. Set sail (not that he was the best sailor in the world... and he couldn't swim!)
3. Dress down (did you know Einstein hated socks?)
4. Keep up correspondence

And you know, those are really great tricks! My comps are as follows:

1. Bust out the cello
2. Take a walk
3. Wear pajamas all day (and flipflops when necessary)
4. Keep up correspondence (hey, email and texts count!)

What about you?? How do you clear the mind/enhance your creativity? Wishing you a wonderful last-weekend-of-summer!

Friday, September 11, 2015

I'm in a bit of an introspective mood today -- okay, let's face it: I'm pretty must always in an introspective mood! Specifically I've been thinking about how nourished I have felt this year in my writing life. A big part of that, I think, has to do with how I started the year off by participating in an Artist's Way group. For 12 weeks we journeyed through THE ARTIST'S WAY by Julia Cameron, and it was a transformative experience for me.

And now I am going through one of her other books, WALKING IN THIS WORLD. Walking has always been a wonderful practice for me, and now I am using that time to meditate on my creative life. I'm two weeks in, and it's been exactly what I needed and then some! (Speaking of walking in this world, if you haven't streamed the movie TRACKS on Netflix, please do! True story of one woman's 1100 mile walk across the Australian Outback with 4 camels and a dog. Did you know wild camels roam the Outback? I didn't!)

So, today, I'd like to share with you the artist's prayer I came up with when, during the group sessions, we were asked to come up with one. As I read it now, I realize it's an affirmation for any human, whatever path. And then I've got some links to some current favorite poems I've recorded recently on Soundcloud. Enjoy!

Tuesday, September 8, 2015

Narrator Trent, who first appeared in UMBRELLA SUMMER, is kind of unlikeable at first, but he finds a friend in mysterious Fallon Little. This book got starred reviews all over the place, and like all of Lisa's books, it's worth reading. For some reason it's hard for me to talk about. I'm still thinking about it.

Another friendship novel! Set in Maine, it chronicles the friendship between Lily and Salma, who is the daughter of migrant blueberry pickers. Also, there's a dog who needs an operation, and a Blueberry Queen pageant. As someone who has written a whole novel about a migrant Florida citrus girl, this one was fascinating and enjoyable.

I was charmed by Ivy Green's quest to find her mother after she (her mother) ran off with Hallelujah Dave (love that name!) to the Great Good Bible Church. And guess what: it's also a friendship novel. :)

Another one with a zillion starred reviews... and it's a friendship story! This one is told in multiple voices, one of them mysterious who uses 2nd person, which was a strange experience for me. Everything else I loved -- especially Bridge's cat ears. :)

Micah Tuttle believes in magic because it's what his grandfather has been telling him since forever... and now that his grandfather is sick, and his awful great-aunt has invaded their lives, Micah NEEDS magic. HE also needs a friend. This one reads like a classic, and yes, it's also a friendship novel!

This book. THIS BOOK. This is exactly the kind of book I love and love and keep on loving. (The other book so far this year that made me feel that way? RED BUTTERFLY by A.L. Sonnischen.) Girl with a club foot has been shut in her ENTIRE life until she follows her brother Jamie when he is evacuated out of London to Kent during WWII. The way the relationship develops between Ada and caregiver Susan... how Ada finds her power... beautiful! (I will now read every other book the author has written.)

Friday, September 4, 2015

Hello and Happy Poetry Friday! Be sure to visit lovely Linda at TeacherDance for Roundup.

I'm delighted today to welcome poet and publisher Janet Wong to share some poems from her book A SUITCASE OF SEAWEED: And Other Poems (McElderry Books, 1996). Buy the paperback edition here.

I happened upon this book at a book store on St. Simon Island (GA) earlier this year, and was enchanted by the poems that reflect Janet's Korean, Chinese, and American heritage. You'll find Janet's comments below in blue. I particularly love Janet's last comment about identity - who we are vs. who we want to be. See below! Thank you, Janet, for sharing with us today!

JW: My mother was paralyzed from polio as a child. Her cure: acupuncture, hundreds of needles daily for a year. This was in rural Korea in the late 1940s. If you were to visit an acupuncturist in the U.S. today, you’d probably receive only a dozen needles in a session. But the way she described it to me as a child, poking her finger all over me, I imagined them turning her into a porcupine.

Acupuncture

by Janet Wong

"Chook! Chook! Chook!"

Mother says each time

she digs her finger

into my skin

to show me where

the doctor stuck

hundred of needles

in her swollen, still,

fever-filled body,

when she was twelve.

I have a picture

in my mind

of how she looked -- Chook!

My mother, once

a porcupine.

JW: I got my first acupuncture treatment after a severe ankle sprain, when I was a teen. Acupuncture, as it’s practiced here, is not supposed to hurt, but my mother believes that it’s only working if it hurts. My mother kept telling the acupuncturist, “More needles! More deeper!” I ended up with double the amount he originally had inserted. The pain was quite intense when he twisted the needles halfway through the session. I did my best for the next few days to hide my hobbling from my mom so that I wouldn’t need to return.

---------------------------------------

Sisters

by Janet Wong

She calls me tofu

because I am so soft,

easily falling apart.

I wish I were tough

and full of fire, like ginger--

like her.

JW: This is just one example of why I am “tofu” and my mother is “ginger." Tofu is not just soft; it weeps. (Put a piece on a plate in the refrigerator and the next day you’ll see what I mean.) I wrote a poem about this difference between my mother and me, but chose to call it “Sisters” since I don’t have a sister and could then tell my mother that it was totally made up.

------------------------------------------

JW: About identity: Race matters, of course, but I worry when we overemphasize race and ignore other things that make up who we are; I’ve written many poems about the complex issue of identity. Now, at the beginning of the school year, the question for many kids (especially teens) isn’t “Who am I?” but rather “Who do I want to be?"

Listen with me on SoundCloud!

My Website

Words to Live By

"Err on the side of love." - my Mama

"Life isn't about finding yourself.Life is about creating yourself."- Anonymous

“Love. Fall in love and stay in love. Write only what you love,and love what you write.The key word is love.You have to get up in the morning and write something you love, something to live for.”- Ray Bradbury